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No. 623,666. Patented Apr..25, |899. C. W. HUDSDON &. G. B. GEBAU.

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE.

(Application flied Dec. B, 1897.) (No Model.)

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y AHORA/Erf WTNESSES TN: Norms PETERS ce., wmoumu. wumnron u c CHARLES YV. HODSDON AND GEORGE B. GERAU, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

SEWING-MACHINE NEEDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,666, dated April 25, 1899. Application filed December 8, 1897. Serial No. 66117168. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Beit known that we, CHARLES W. HODSDON an d GEORGE B. GERAU, citizens of the United States, residing at New York, (Brooklym) in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-lVIaohine Needles, of which the following' is a full and complete spccilication, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appei'tains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to sewing-machine needles; and the object thereof is to provide a needle of this class with simple and improved means for facilitating the threading' thereof without heilig compelled t0 insert the thread through the eye of the needle.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of ou rim provement are designated hy letters of reference,A said drawing being a front elevation of our improved needle.

Referring to the drawing, Arepresents the body of an ordinary sewing-machine needle, which is provided with the usual enlarged cylindrical head c. That portion of the needle which connects the head a with the body thereof is conical in form, as shown at a2, and the needle A is provided at the usual distance above the point a3 with the eye a4, which is oblong in forni, the longer diameter thereof being in line with the longitudinal center of the needle. The needle A is also provided with the usual longitudinal groove a5, which is formed in one side thereof and which eX- tends along said side from the eye a4 to the head a of the needle, and our improved means for facilitating the operation of threading the needle comprises alongitudinal slot a, formed in the needle parallel with and adjacent to one side of the longitudinal center thereof, and the lower end of said slot is'curved inwardly and communicates with the eye of the needle by passing` through one of the side walls thereof, as shown at al, and the upper end of said slot communicates with the upper end of a downwardlyand outwardlyinclined supplemental slot a8, which is, as shown in the drawing, formed in the conical portion a2 at the lower end of the head a. This downwardly and outwardly inclined slot, however, may be formed in the upper end of the body portion A of the needle or in the head a,'if desired, the only object in this connection being to form said supplemental slot as at a downward and outward inclination, so as to communicate with the upper end of the slot a6 wherever that may be, a further object being to forln the slot a8 at or near the upper end of the needle, so that it will notinterfere with the operation thereof. y

The slot a8 opens outwardly, as will be readily understood, and in threading the needle the thread is passed upwardly into said slot, to the upper end thereof, where it communicates with the longitudinal slot a, and the thread is passed downwardly through said slot a and into the eye of the needle, as will be readily understood. The slot a communi- Cates with the eye of the needle, below the upper end thereof and above the lower end, and does not interfere with the operation of the needle in forcing the thread downwardly through the cloth or fabric or in drawing it upwardly through said cloth or fabric.

The side strip B of the needle, formed by the slot a and the supplemental slot as, possesses slight spring qualities, as will be readily understood, and the thread is therefore free to pass through the slot a6, and by reason of the supplemental slot as the upper end of the said side strip is always held in position and cannot be thrown outwardly or misplaced radially in the operation of the needle.

Our improvement is simple in construction and operation and perfectly adapted to accomplish the result for which it is intended and does not add materially to the cost of the needle.

Having fully described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A sewing-machine needle provided with a cylindrical head, that portion of the needle which is connected with the head being conical in form, said needle being also provided with the usual eye, and a longitudinalrslot which is formed in one side of said needle, and the lower end of which communicates with the eye of the needle, and the upper end of which terminates at or near the conical :is our invention we have signed our names, 1o in presence of the subscribing Witnesses, this 4th day of December, 1897.

4portion adjacent to the head thereof, and communicates with :t downwardly and outwardly inclined supplemental slot which opens outwm'dl y through the side ofthe needIe,Whereby T 5 :L spring side piece is formed integral with the gIREETgODbDOB' needle7 the npperend of Whichisheid in place I T by the upper wall of the supplemental slot, VtneSSeS:

substantially as shown and described. L. M. MULLER,

In testimony that we claim the foregoing M. A. KNOWLES. 

